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No.. 442,640. Patented Dec, 16, 1890.

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Patented 1360.16, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF'HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TC THE l. PRATTdu IVHITNEY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

REGULATOR FOR GRAIN-SCALES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,640, dated December16, 1890. Application filed April 25, 1889. Renewed February 20, 1890.Serial No. 341,104.. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS I-I. RioHAEDs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Hartford, in the countyof Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGrain-lVeighers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to self-regulating automatic grain-Weighersoperated by the power or weight of the grain Weighing.

The invention has for its object to furnish such a grain-Weigher inWhich the regulation shall be obtained by making inoperative from timeto time, as required, the valve-actuating devices. It is in the natureof an improvementon the mechanism described and broadly claimed in myapplication, Serial No. 340,814, iiled February 17, 1890, to whichreference may be had. e

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification,Figure l is a side elevation, partiallyv in section or broken away, ofan automatic grain-Weigher embodying my present improvements. Figs. 2and 3 are detail views similar to a portion of Fig. 1,s howingsuccessiveI stages of the operation of the reducing' and cut-off valves.Fig. 4 is a plan view of the principal parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 isa front elevation of so much of the machine as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are views similar to Figs. 2 and 3,`shotving myimprovements in connection with another form or kind of valve mechanism.

Similar characters designate 'like parts in all the figures. e e

In Figs. l to 5, inclusive, my present improvements are shown vinconnection. with other improvements not of my invention, but which aredescribed in the prior application of C. II. Cooley, Serial No. 338,544,tiled J anuary 30,l890, to which I have permission to refer. Saidmachine, as shown in said prior application and in said Figs. I to 5,has a frame-work, which usually comprises two side frames 2 and 4, heldtogether by ordinary tie-rods or braces, (not shovvm) and a top plate 5,to which is attached the supplychute` Il. The grain-bucket G, of thedoublechambered kind used in the Well-known Hill grain-scale, issuspended under the chute II and discharges its loads of grain into theregulator-hopper P, which is pivoted at 7 to the frame-Work, or which isotherwise support-ed in any suitable manner below said grain-bucket. Thehopper-P has one or more arms or levers 10 10, each carrying' acounterbalancing-Weight ll. Suitable stops (not shown) are in practiceprovided for properly limiting the rising and falling movements of thehopper. In Fig. 1 lthe hopper is shown by solid lines in its highestposition, as when empty or nearly empty of grain. Then full or nearlyfullof grain,it is carried down, as indicated by the dotted lines. Thisf u rnishes the means and power for shifting the valve-actuatingdevices, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

The grain-bucketGis journaled at I2 in bearings formed in the usualhangers, Which are suspended by V-shaped bearings from knifeedges 15 onthe scale-beam B. This beam has V-shaped bearings 20, one at each endthereof, and which resten the knife-edges 2d, that are carried by theframe-Work. Opposite to arms 19 an arm 28 extends rearward, and isprovided with a knife-edge 27, on Which the main Weight WV is suspendedby hook 29. The usual and necessary means for causing and controllingthe operation of the grain-bucket are not shown in this application.

The movement of the beam B is or maybe limited in its upward movement(of the bucket) by some suitable stops, as 52, and is stopped in itsdownward movement by the discharge of the grain.. A special stop (notshown) may be, and sometimes is, provided for the latter purpose.

The main Weight IV is or may be made to fullyl balance the Weight of theloaded bucket, thus dispensingwith the supplemental Weight usuallyemployed in this class of grain-Weighers to counterbalance the completedload; but in order to retain the same mode of making up that load by areduced flow of grain a smaller resistance or ballast Weight N isemployed, whose Weight is opposed to that of the main weight prior tothe Abeginning of drip of the column of grain. This Weight N is carriedon a lever 55,-pivoted at 56 to some part of the frame-Work, and Whosedownward IOO movement is limited by some fixed stop. As shown in thedrawin the stop 52 serves this purpose. The main beam B has a part, as57, which strikes said lever 55 or some part thereof, as theadjusting-screw 58, and thus lifts weight N, as in Fig. 3, when thebucket G is raised. When the bucket is gradually filled, as in practice,it first goes down until the lever 55 rests on stop 52, having thenreceived a weight of grain equal to the difference between the effectiveweights of the weights W and N. Next it stands in this midstrokeposition until the load fully equals the effective weight of the weightXV, when it descends and discharges its load.

The valve mechanism for reducin and for cutting off the flow of grain tothe bucket is actuated from and by the main beam. The red ucing-valve G0is carriedby arms 62, which are suspended from pivots (51. rllhis valvecloses under the out-let G5 of the chute Il, usually1 somewhat more thanhalf the width thereof, and is limited in said movement by an adjustablestop GG, whereby the quantity of drip is regulated. The operation ofthis valve and of the means for actuating the same will be bestunderstood from Figs. 2 and The arm 02 has a cam-shaped part at G7,which is acted on by the cam or actuator tif, that is carried by themain beam. lVhen this beam 'is down, as in Figs. 5 and G of said priorapplication, No. 338,549., the valve is closed; but when it rises, as inFig. 2, the actuator G8 forces out the arm (52 and opens the valve, asthere shown. The faces of said cams (57 and US are inclined to theirline of movement, so that the movement. of the beam is not materiallyobstructed by the moderate force re quired to work the valve. The properdegree of said inclination is readily determined in any particular caseexperimentally. 'lhecutolf valve 7 O is similarly suspended by arms 72from the said pivots (i1, or from some point near thereto. rlhe arm 72has a cam-shaped part 77, which is acted on by the shiftableValve-actuator 7S, that is carried bythe beam ll. lVhen this beam isdown, as aforesaid, the valve is closed and (the valve GO being alsoclosed) cuts otf the flow of grain; but when the beam rises, as in Fig.2, the actuator 7 8 strikes cam 77 and forces back arm T2, thus openingthe valve 70. Thus the rising of the beam opens both valves, as in Fig.L, and leaves the iiow of grain unobstructed. In practice the two camsor actuators U8 and 7S are or may be made in a single piece, as shown,it being fitted to act on each valve-arm independently of the other arm.The said actuators are not, according to my present invention, fixeddirectly to the main beam by which the same are carried, but are carriedby a supplemental beam erle-ver that is fitted to be shifted on saidmain beam, whereby the actuator or actuators are thrown into aninoperative position, whether or not the main beam stands in its upperor in its lower position, this shifting movement being` derived fromregulator' devices. For this purpose I. pro vide a supplemental beam orlever J, which may be variously constructed within the scope and limitsof my invent-ion. As shown in said Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, said leverconsists in an arm 00, carrying the valve-actuator, the shaft or journal91, journaled in a bearing 92, formed on the arm 19 of the main bea-m B,and the arm 9i, which extends to carry a pivot 93, that when thevalve-actuators are in a working position stands in substantialalignment with knifeedges 24, as in Fig. 2. The pivot 93 is connected bya rod to the weight-arm 10 of the hopper P, so that the downwardmovement of said hopper will shift the beam J on the beam B, asillustrated in Fig. 3, and throw the actuator down below its workingposition, thus vpermitting the valves to close and stop the machine,though the beam-arm 1U be standing in its uppermost position. The grainbeing sufficiently lowered in hopper l, this is overbalanced by itsweight or weights 11 and rises, as lin Fig. 1, thus reshifting theactuator-carrier J and its actuator or actuators, and again opening thevalve or valves, and thereby starting the machine.

It is not essential to my improved machine that both of the valves GOand 70 shall be actuated by the particular actuators hereinbeforedescribed therefor, nor that said valves shall be the particular onesabove described.

In Figs. G, 7, and 8 I have shown my improvements in connection with thevalves and valve-actuating devices shown and described in Letters PatentNo. 302,186, granted to J. \V. llill July 15, 1884. In this modificationthe beam J is pivoted at one end to the main beam ll, and is connectedto rod 95 through the intermediate lever and link 101. Both the pawl Land stop M are carried on said supplemental beam. In Figs. 6 and 7 theparts stand in their usual relative working positions, the beam B beingdown in Fig. 7 and standing up in Fig. 6. In Fig. 8 the supplementalbeam is shifted to throw the pawls and stop into their lower orinoperative position, wherein the valves remain closed, though the mainbeam be raised. On the rising of hopper l the connections describedraise the supplemental beam relative to main beam and from the positionin Fin'. 7 to that in Fig. 6, thus opening the valves and starting themachine.

Other regulators than the hopper 1) are adapted to be used for shiftingthe valveactuator on thc scale-beam. One such regulator is shown anddescribed in my application, Serial No. 342,297, tiled March 1,1890, towhich reference may be had.

Having thus described my invention, l claim- 1. In agrain-weighcr, thecombination,with the supply-chute, the main beam, and a valve arrangedto lclose under said chute, of the supplemental beam on said main beam,the cam 78 on the supplemental beam for actuat- IIC ing' the valve, andmeans for making inoperative said cam by shifting` the supplemental beamon the main beam, all'substantially as described.

2. In a grai n-weigher, the combination, with the supply-cliute, themain beam, and one or more valves arran ged to close under said chute,of valve-actuating; devices, substantially as described, carried by themain beam, and the regulator-hopper connected to shift said devices onsaid beam, the conneetion'between the beam and the regulator-rod beingsubstantiallyv coincident with the beam-axis when the valve-actuator isinits operative position, substantially as described.

3. In a grain-Weigher, the combination, With the chute, the main beam,and the supplemental beam J carrying the valve-aetuat0r,

of the valve 70, having a cam oi* arm actuated by said actuator to opensaid valve, and regulator devices, substantially as described, forshift-ing; said actuator relative t0 said main beam, all substantiallyas described.

4. In a grain-Weigher, the combination, with the counter-weighted mainbeam, the chute, and a cut-oft valve therefor, of the lever or beam. J,pivoted on the main beam and having at one end acam for actuating saidvalve and having its Otherend in substantial alignment with the axis ofthe main beam, said other end being vconnected with regulator devices,all substantially as described.

FRANCIS Il. RICHARDS. lVitliesses:

HENRY L. RECKARD, W. M. BYORKMAN.

